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U.S. Ambassador to Australia and partner of 17 years wed in DC

On Saturday, August 10, the U.S. Ambassador to Australia, John Berry, married his partner of 17 years, Curtis Yee, in Washington, D.C.

In June, President Obama appointed Berry, who previously served as the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, as the ambassador to Australia. Berry is the first openly gay ambassador to a G-20 nation. He begins his role as ambassador in the coming weeks.

The wedding comes as momentum for marriage builds in Australia. This year, Australian Marriage Equality has been leading the charge to bring the freedom to marry for same-sex couples to Australia. Rodney Croome, the national convener for the organization, congratulated the couple and explained the backdrop of their nuptials this weekend in a statement. Croome said:

It's a happy time when any couple marries and I congratulate John Berry and Curtis Lee on their special day and wish them well for their married life together. Sadly, they join hundreds of other same-sex couples whose overseas same-sex marriages aren't recognised under Australian law. It will be a source of deep embarrassment for many Australians that our law fails to respect the marriage of the chief representative of our closest friend and ally, the United States.